Compressed-air installation for internal-combustion engines on board ships



Feb. 22,1927. 1 1,618,335

. W. HEFTl COMPRESSED AIR INSTALLATION FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES ON BOARD S HIPS Fiied Jan. 23, 1924 Reducing Val e OUTLET Furl v.10:

Patented Feb. 22, 1927.-

UNITED STATES HEITI, or WULFLIYNGEN, sWIrz-EnLAnn, Assrenon TO THE FIRM or GEBRUDER sULzER'AKTIENeEs LLsoHAFr, AT WINTERTHUR...

WiLI-IELM COMPRESSED-AIR INSTALLATION FOR PATENT OFFICE."

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION VENGJ INES ON BOARD SHIPS. V

Application filed January 23, 1924. Serial No. 688,112.

This invention relates to a compressed air installatlon for internal combustion englnes 'on board ships.

According to the invention 'at least two air accumulators are provided for storing air at different pressures received from the same pumps, one storage vessel accumulator containing high-pressure air for fuelinjection purposes and starting athigh-pressures' .deliver air to the high-pressure accumulator,

or air'vessel andto lead the air from this vessel into that in which air at a lower pressure is stored. V a

If multi-stage pumpsare used, the individual air vessels or accumulators may be charged at diflerent pressures directly from the pump by takng air from the different stages direct to the. accumulators or storage Valve-members can also'be provided vessels. 7 to allow of air being drawn from the storage vessels at different pressures for driving one and the same machine. 7

In. order that the air may be let off from the high-pressure accumulator as desired, the low-pressure accumulator can be fitted with corresponding members. It is, also preferable to arrange a device to allow, of the low-pressure accumulator being heated.

In addition to the air compressors driven by the main and auxiliary engines, the auxiliary compressor and the emergency compressor may also supply air to the high-pressure accumulator, when the individual compressors supplying air can be put into or out of service as desired. This arrangement of plant and valves is especially recommendable in in .stallations consisting of a' compressor driven by the main engine, av compressor driven by the auxiliary engine, an auxiliary engine, compressor and an emergency compressor. 7 also an advantage if the high-pressure In such installations it is stages of the compressors driven by the main and auxiliary engines, the auxiliary compressor and the emergency compressor deliver air to the high-pressure storage vessel,fwhilst the intermediate stage of the compressors driven by the main and auxiliary engines deliver air to the low-pressure accumulator. This arrangement of the plant and of the valves on theair storage vessels and compressors can also be chosen so that. any -individual machine or storage vessel may be put into or out of service as desired. The invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows the invention dlagrammatically.

'A high-pressureair storage or accumulator l and a low-pressure air storage or accumulator 2 arefilled with compressed air by the compressor 3 driven by the main engine 4L, byi'the compressor .5 driven by the auxiliary engine 6, by the auxiliary compressor 7 and by the emergency compressor 8. lhe compressed air'is from there led to the place where it is utilized, for example a to the cylinders 9 of the main engine, the cylinders. 10 of the auxiliary engine, the reserve lubricating-oil pump 11, the starting engine 12, the barring engine 13, the'steer- 'ing gear 14, the reserve"cooling-water pump 15, the oil burner 16,the syren 17 etc.

The main source of compressedair to. be considered is the high-pressure storage or accumulator 1. As shown in the drawing, this may consist of several bottles 18' to which the compressed air is delivered through a pipe 19- which is fitted with regnlatingmemberspreferably shut-off valves 20 and connected with the high-pressure stages 21 and 22 of the compressor driven by the main engineand the auxiliary engine respectively. Other shut-oil valves 23 and 24L fitted in the pipe 19 allow of the compressorsbeing connected up to or disconnected from the bot tles. If the auxiliary compressor 7 or the emergency compressor 8 is called on to supply compressed "air, this air'is supplied to the high-pressure bottles through a pipe 25 fitted with shut-ofl' valves 26 and 27.

As a rule the'air stored-under high-presin any other manner as desired.

tamer 2 is enclosed in a caslng thereby sure is led through the pipe 28 and the lowpressure storage vessel to the main pipe 29 from which it is distributed by separate pipes leading to the places where it is utilized. In case the low-pressure storage vessel must be put out of service, or if air at a higher pressure is required, such air can be obtained through a pipe 30, in which a shut-ott' valve 31 is titted, and which con nects the high-pressure storage direct with the main pipe 29.

The low-pressure vessel or accumulator represented on the drawing as a simple container 2, before which a reducing valve 32 is titted. The low pressure storage vessel can of course be designed and constructed The confOllIllI'lg a hollow space Set which can be used as a heating acket. The low-pressure accmnula tor can in this way be l eated either by exhaust gases passed through the jacket or by hot cooling-water from the internaleon'ibustion engine cylinder-jarkel's, or by any other means. Preferably the pressurereducing valve 32 is of the known throttle valve type. By means of shut-olt' valves 35 and 36 titted in the piping. the low-pressure accumulator can be cut out from the rest of the con'ipressed air system. In order to allow ot the high-pressure and low-pressure accumulators both working at the same time, another sliut-ofi valve 37 is provided. which preferably, as shown in the diagrammatic sketch, is arranged between the by-pass and the pipe 38 which leads the low-pressure air to the place where it is utilized.

To this piping the following nun-hinery connected and arranged so that it can be connected or disconnected by means of valves,the reserve luhricatin eoil pump Til, the starting engine 12. the barring; engine 13, the steering" gear 14. the reserve coolingwater pump 15, the oil-burner 16 for heating purposes etc... the syren l7, and other ma- .rhinery and apparatus. not shown in the drawing, which can be driven by compressed air.

The low pressure accumulator can also be connected direct by means of the pipes 39 with the intermediate stage of the compressors driven by the main and auxiliary englnes. The lli'leClilOn flii bottles can also he connected with the high-pressure storage by means of the pipe 19.

The installation is operated astollowsz \Vhen. for example. a main engine or an auxiliary engine. or any of the machines or engines connected with the distributingpipine' are to be started up. air is allowed to flow from the low-pressure accumulator 2 by opening the valve 86. In consequence of the fall of pressure in the low-pressure accumulator the reducing valve 32 opens and allows air to pass from the high-pressure accumulator into the low-pressure through the opened shut-oll -valves Q0 and 35. As soon as the pressure in the low-pressut'e storage vessel has been restored to normal. the reducing valve closes and only opens again later it the pressure again drops in conse quence of air having been drawn oil. The low-pr ssure accuniulator can also he put out 01' service. and in this case tOl'llpitff-tb-ictl air taken through the by-pass piping; 3-30 to the place oil use and the air i'th'lltlietl for starting the engines and driving; the auxiliary nnwhinery istah'eu direct from the high-pressure storage.

Hy littimr the requisite members it is also possible to arrange to worlcthe installation in such a way that thepart oi the plant ret' uiring compressed air, for example for starting;' or for fuel injection, can he worked with high-pressure air from the innit-pres sure :u'cmnulator whilst at the same time air at lower pressure can be led from the low-pr ure accumulator to pines where low-pressure air isrequircd, for example for the reserve lubricating-oil pumps, reserve cooling-water pumps, etc. y

The air in the hie'lupressure and lo'\\"'-pressuri storage vessels may be renewed in various ways. the hinhpressure storage drawn from the high-pressure stages oi. the compressors driven by the 1main and auxiliary engines or :t'rom the auxiliary or einereency compressors. hen filling the accunnilators for the first time or when the pressure in them has fallen abnormally low. air can be taken from the intern'iedi'ate stane oil the compressors driven by the main or auxiliary eneiiics and led direct to the h'iwpressure accnniulalm'.

It the latter is filled in this manner, a savi ux the air cooling down when it flows at a hie'h pressure into the air bottles and there expends gn'eatly. is avoided.

The pro-sure in the low-pressure accmnulater is preferably chosen so that it is high enough to start up the main enginesv but. on the other hand, low enough so that not too much is required and no great cooling: ofthe cylinder space takes place.

The size oi" the low-pro. .aure accumulator is based on the consideration that the air which is cooled when flowing: over warms up somewhat before reaching the place where it isuscd. and that tor normal working: a stock of air warmed to about the tempeiature of the en e'ine-rool'u is always ready at low-pressure.

It will be understood that the individual elements oi the r-ombinathm are well known. but that the construction described in the foregoing" is one of the many possible combinations by which an installation may be Preferably the air required l'or obtained which is not only simple to construct, but also insures reliability of operation and permits operation tobe effected from either of the systems of compressed air. 7

I claim:

1. In a compressed air installation for internal combustion engines on ship board the combination with an internal combustion engine driven multi-stage air compressor and auxiliary and emergency. air commeans for connecting said high pressure accumulator to auxiliary machinery, and means for controlling the connection of both the high and the low pressure accumulator to said auxiliary machinery.

2. In a compressed air installation for internal combustion engines on ship board the combination with a main and a secondary'internal combustion engine driven multi-stage air compressor and auxiliary and emergency air compressors of a high pressure air accumulator, a low pressure air accumulator, means for connecting said low pressure accumulator to the intermediate pressure stage of said multi-stage compressors, means for connecting said high pressure accumulator to the high pressure stage of said multistage compressors, and to the auxiliary and emergency air compressors, an automatic pressure-reducing valve between said accumulators, means for supplying compressed air from said high pressure accumulator to the fuel and starting valves of the internal combustion engine driving said multi-stage compressors, means for connecting said low pressure accumulator to auxiliary machinery, and means for controlling the connection of both the high and the low pressure accumulator to said auxiliary machinery.

In a compressed air installation for internal combustion engines on ship board the combination with an internal combustion engine driven by multi-stage air compressor and auxiliary and emergency air compressors of a high pressure air accumulator, a low pressure air accumulator, means for heating said low pressure air accumulator,

means'for connecting said intermediate pressure accumulator to the low pressure stage of said multi-stage compressor, means for connecting said high pressure accumulator to the hi h pressure stage of said multistage compressor, and to the auxiliary and emergency air compressors, an automatic pressure-reducing valve between said accumulators, means for supplying compressed air from said high pressure accumulator to the fuel and starting valves of the internal combustion engine driving saidmulti-stage compressor, means for connecting said low pressure accumulator to auxiliary machinery, means for connecting said high pressure accumulator to auxiliary machinery, and means for controlling the connection of both the high and the low pressure accumulator to said auxiliary machinery.

4. In a compressed air installation for internal combustion engines on ship board the combination with a main and a secondary internal combustion engine driven multistage air compressor and auxiliary and emergency air compressors of a high pressure air accumulator, a low pressure air accumulator, means for heating said low pressure air accumulator, means fol-connecting said low pressure accumulator to the intermediate pressure stage of said multi-stage .compressors,'means for connecting said high pressure accumulator to the high pressure stage of said multi-stagecompressors, and to the auxiliary and emergency air compressors, an automatic pressure-reducing valve between said accumulators, meansfor supplying compressed air from said high pressure accumulator t0 the fuel and starting valves of the internal combustion engine driving said multi-stage compressors, means for con:

necting said low pressure accumulator to auxiliary machinery, and means for controlling the connection of both the highand the low pressure accumulator to said auxiliary machinery.

5. In a compressed air installation for internal combustion engines on ship board the combination with a main and a secondary multi-cylinder internal combustion engine driven, multi-stage air compressor and auxiliary and emergency air compressors of a high pressure air accumulator, a double walled low pressure air accumulator, means for connecting said low pressure accumulator tothe intermediate pressure stage of said multi-stage compressors, means for conmeeting the high pressure accumulator to the high pressure stage of said multi-stage compressors and to the auxiliary and emergency air compressors, an automatic pressurereducing valve between said accumulators, means for supplying heat from the internal combustion engines to the space between the inner and outer walls of said low pressure lOO ill-3 :wculmllator, means for supplying 0on1 pressed air from said high pressure :10- culnulator to the fuel and starting valves of each cylinder of the. engines driving said mult-i-stage compressors, means for connecting said low pressure accumulator to 2111K- iliary nmchinery, means for connecting said high pressure accumuhlfior to auxiliary mu- (ilinely, and means for cum-rolling the c011- nccli-ion 01? both the high and the low pres: 10 sure accumulator to the auxiliary machinery.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

\VILHELM HEFTI.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION;

Patent No 1,618,335. Granted February 22, 1927, to

WILHELM HEFTI.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, line 24, for the Y misspelled word "takng" read "taking"; line 47, strike out the word and comma "engine," and line 57, for the word "This" read "The"; page 3, line 60, claim 3, strike out the word "by"; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the ease in the Patent Office,

Signed and sealed this 12th day of April, A. D9 1927.

M. J. Moore, Seal. Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

